As you could probably tell from the fact that Beet and Quinoa Burgers were one of my earliest posts, beets are always in stock at my house…and there will be many more beet based recipes forthcoming. Today, I’m trying them a new way based on a picture I saw on Instagram the other day. This version blends a lot of the flavours from a salad my wife and I made about a year ago, and the mint leaves really made everything “pop.” That said, you could always swap out the mint for other flavours like rosemary, sage, black pepper. Up to you!
These would go well as a side for roasted pork or chicken or even to pair with stuffed portobello caps. Tonight, I’m pairing this with a simple roasted chicken breast over field greens with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Time: 1 Hour
Ingredients:
- Beets! We are using one golden beet and one red beet for two people.
- A soft Goat Cheese like Chevre
- Mint Leaves (or your other flavours)
- Optional, but highly suggested…a little bit of honey
Method:
- Rinse any dirt off your beets, and boil them in a large, deep pan. Be careful to not splash any water on yourself if you have to turn the beets…they are very good at staining.
- Remove your beets from the water when they are tender and can be stuck with a fork, and put them in cold water until they are cool enough to touch.
- While they cool, take your mint leaves, and slice them into thin ribbons, and then with a fork, mash them together with the cheese (and honey if you’re going that route) in a separate bowl
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
- Cut the top and bottom off the beets, and with your thumbs (see picture below for one handed method since I had to use the other for pictures), peel the skin off of the beets. I’d suggest using PVC surgical or food grade gloves for this to avoid red hands
- Cut your beets in half, and slice a little layer off the bottom of each half so they can sit flat on your cutting board (for the same staining reasons above, don’t use a cutting board you care too much about…and no wood!).
- With a spoon or a knife, carefully, scoop out as much or as little of the beet as you like (all depends on your desired filling to beet ratio).
- Eat or share your beet scoopings (I have to share, or I’ll get in irredeemably huge trouble).
- Scoop your minty cheesey filling into the beets, and place on a (foil lined) baking sheet.
- Roast for 10-15 minutes to heat the beets back up and melt the cheese
- Remove from oven, plate, devour, and enjoy!
